Trash Talking With MIT
The results are in! Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s SENSEable City Lab wrapped up July’s Trash Track study of more than 3,000 pieces of trash in Seattle, New York City and London.
Using GPS devices, researchers were able to follow materials such as Starbucks coffee cups and florescent light bulbs to find out what really happens to your recyclables once they leave the bin.
A tag on an aluminum can in Seattle revealed that the material traveled about 2.5 miles to its final destination. Photo: MIT SENSEable City Lab
“Our aim with Trash Track is to reveal the disposal process of our everyday objects,” says Carlo Ratti, director of the SENSEable City Lab.
“The project could be considered the urban equivalent of nuclear medicine —where a tracer is injected and followed through the human body to reveal how a system functions.”
The garbage tags were similar to a cell phone, without the keyboard and screen. The final results are on display at New York City’s Architectural League and at Seattle’s Public Library.
According to researchers, the main purpose of the mission was to connect consumers with their everyday trash disposal by using advanced, evolving technology.
“Trash Track has the potential to encourage people to make more sustainable decisions about what and how much they consume, and how it affects the world around them,” says Assaf Biderman, associate director of the SENSEable City Lab.
“The project represents a type of change that is taking place in cities: a bottom-up approach to managing resources, promoting more informed decision-making in the public through the use of pervasive technologies and information.”
